Chartered Business Specialists (CBS)

How It Works

All that you need to do in order to create awareness and to establish credibility for your Unique Business Subject (UBS) is to write some engaging professional articles. Appleton Greene will then publish these and distribute them for you on your behalf. We also have Professional Editors who will help to evaluate and assess your articles for you in order to ensure that they meet with the required standard. If you enjoy writing and have a Unique Business Subject (UBS) that you are passionate about, then this could be a terrific opportunity for you to turn your knowledge into additional income. Your professional articles will be featured within the Publications section of the Appleton Greene web site, a dedicated Chartered Business Specialist (CBS) web site, within the searchable knowledge base of the Appleton Greene Client Support Portal (CSP) and distributed to over 500,000 contacts within the Appleton Greene Global Client Network (GKN).

As and when service orders are received, they will be forwarded to you for review. It is entirely your prerogative to determine which assignments you would like to accept or decline, based upon their suitability and this enables you to manage your own time and to cherry pick the assignments that you are the most excited about. if you accept an assignment, our legal department verifies the contractual terms of service and our accounts department then invoices the client. Appleton Greene is then paid monthly in advance of service provision and the Chartered Business Specialist (CBS) is also paid monthly in advance of service provision, less Appleton Greene’s 10% service fee, by international bank wire transfer. You then set aside the time allocated within the contractual agreement and liaise directly with the client in order to provide the service required. Given the fact that this is a knowledge-based service, much of the service will be based upon independent professional advice, support, assistance, research and recommendations and as such this can all be implemented online through the Appleton Greene Client Support Portal (CSP). You will simply be set up as an Agent and your clients can then raise tickets whenever they need your assistance or support. You can then simply respond to these tickets within 5 business days. As such, all of this work can be undertaken from home, as long as you have access to a computer and the internet.

The Appleton Greene Client Support Portal (CSP) enables you to manage a large portfolio of clients efficiently and professionally and around any current commitments that you may have. So, even if you have a full-time position, you just need to find the time to check your Client Support Portal (CSP) once daily and respond to any tickets that have been raised. You can then plan any research or development work when you have the time to do so. Once you are established as a Chartered Business Specialist (CBS), you can then elect to scale back on your current commitments, or hand your notice in, when you have an established client base already with Appleton Greene, thus mitigating any unnecessary risk for you.

Appleton Greene has Accredited Consultants, Learning Providers and Clients within most major cities worldwide, so it does not matter where you are located. However, it will be your responsibility to declare any additional income that you earn through Appleton Greene to your local tax revenue service in order to comply with local tax laws. You will need to invoice Appleton Greene for the monthly income received from clients and as such you just need to provide these invoices to your local revenue service. Your local Accountant or Tax Adviser should be able to help you with this.

Options Explained

Appleton Greene has provided candidates with a choice of 4 service options to choose from, in order to provide something to suit every time plan and budget. The main difference between all 4 options, is the quantity of professional article credits purchased and the subsequent cost per article in each case. The more professional article credits purchased, the lower the cost per article. Also, the more professional article credits purchased the higher your income projection will understandably be. The quantity of professional articles where income peaks is 12 and as such this is when Associate Business Specialists (ABS) become Chartered Business Specialists (CBS).

So, the best way to approach this, is to think about how many professional articles you could write in relation to your chosen Unique Business Subject (UBS) during your first year. Each article takes, on average, 1 or 2 hours to write and proof-read. If you are confident of writing say one article every month, then it would be in your interests to register as a Chartered Business Specialist (CBS) straight away for $1,200.00 and this will reduce your cost per article by 50%. if you believe that you have the content and ideas to write 30 articles, then you can reduce your cost per article even further by selecting this option. Alternatively, if you have a restricted budget and/or time availability, then you are welcome to start off as an Associate Business Specialist (ABS), by just ordering either 1 or 4 articles initially. You can always purchase more article credits at a later stage when you can afford to do so. The choice is yours

Article Structure

The professional article structure used by Appleton Greene is very simple and straight-forward. It incorporates: an introduction; a main part and a conclusion. Associate and Chartered Business Specialists (CBS) should tell interesting stories with their articles in order to engage their readers. Featuring case studies is always a good idea, but the article should be informative, engaging, current and well-written. You can use the online (CBS) article submission form, which is very easy to follow, but you also have the comfort of knowing that all of your professional articles will be evaluated and assessed independently by an Appleton Greene Professional Editor, before it is approved and published. They will help to ensure that all of your articles meet with the required standard before publishing, which is in everyone’s interests.

The Introduction, Main Part and Conclusion should all be descriptive and written in your own words, using the English Language and should each consist of between a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 1,000 words. That is to say, between 1,500 words and 3,000 words for the entire article. Lists and numbered or bullet points should not be used, because this will interfere with the natural flow of the article and tends to disengage readers.

Introduction

The Introduction should feature the reason for the article, the topic to be discussed, the problem that needs to be resolved. Let us assume that the topic is Global Warming. You could incorporate the current strengths and weaknesses as you see them. In other words, what are we doing right at the moment and what are we doing wrong. What are other influencers saying, positively and negatively. Always try to provide a balanced discussion in order to remain impartial. Make a list of the points that you would like to make and then dedicate one paragraph to each point, in order to ensure that you have covered everything that you want to. Feel free to reference other articles that are available on the internet, where applicable. Remember, the more topical and current your article subject, the higher the internet ranking will be.

Main Part

The Main Part should feature the heart of the article discussion or debate. It should incorporate the opportunities and threats that arise from the strengths and weaknesses that were featured within the Introduction in order to retain a natural flow to your article. This is where you can start to introduce your own opinions, recommendations, theories, or research. Refer to each of the points raised within the Introduction and address each of them summarizing your own views and solutions. This section represents an opportunity for you to state your case and to achieve commitment and ownership from your readers. Powerful articles are full of relevant facts and reference links to third party articles which support your views. Try not to come across as dictatorial or self-important. Keep your articles lighthearted and good humored.

Conclusion

The Conclusion should consist of a summary of the main points and an indication of what can be done next. What are the next steps and how do we take them? The Conclusion should demonstrate your ability to recognize and identify solutions and to articulate them in such a way as you are likely to achieve support and commitment from key employees within your clients’ organizations. Write your articles with your reader in mind and ensure that there is something in this for them. Clients will recognize you then as being persuasive, powerful, productive and resourceful. Make sure that the reader is left in no doubt as to how important this is to them and what they need to do next.

No Adverts Please

You do not need to advertise or sell yourself within your professional articles, indeed you should not do so. Each and every article that you write will already incorporate a Personal Profile for you as the Author and will also incorporate links to your Client Information Guide (CIG). Your professional articles must not constitute adverts or be interpreted as an opportunity to promote yourself further. Keep things impartial and professional and just use these professional articles as an opportunity to demonstrate the extent of your knowledge, relating to your chosen Unique Business Subject (UBS). Once you master the article writing process, you will find it to be a very productive and rewarding process and you should be able to create engaging professional articles within 1 or 2 hours, including time for proof-reading, grammar improvement and spelling checks. One professional article per month, should be enough to establish a full portfolio of clients within approximately 12 months. The more you write, the better the quality will become and the more you will enjoy the process. If you enjoy writing articles, then your audience will recognize this and enjoy reading them.

Unlimited Support

Article Evaluation & Assessment

All of your articles will be evaluated and assessed independently by an Appleton Greene Professional Editor, in order to ensure that they meet with the required standard. This is as much in your interests as it is in Appleton Greene’s. Our Professional Editors are experienced in ensuring that your articles incorporate all of the key elements within each section, do not lose their natural flow, are well written and professional and most importantly that they constitute the Key Corporate Objectives (KCO) of the proposed target market that you are trying to attract. If an article does not meet with the standard required, it will be explained why and you will be given a list of tasks to undertake in order to ensure that your article meets with the required standard. You then just need to make the required amendments and your article will then be published. The evaluation and assessment process tends to be a good interactive learning experience for Chartered Business Specialists (CBS) and your articles will subsequently become more engaging and more professional given time. The Professional Editors will also ensure that your professional articles are SMART, that is to say: Specific & Significant; Meaningful & Motivational; Attainable & Achievable; Realistic & Relevant; Tangible & Timely.

Client Support Portal (CSP)

Support is provided through Appleton Greene’s Client Support Portal (CSF). This enables Chartered Business Specialists (CBS) to get used to the support tools that they themselves will be using when servicing clients. It incorporates an efficient ticketing system that enables you to have a number of support requests open at the same time and you can then close them as and when you are happy that your issue has been resolved. Copies of these communications will automatically be forwarded to your own personal email address and you can also export support tickets for your records. You will also have access to Appleton Greene’s searchable knowledge base, which is constantly updated. This also enables support to be more personal and you can communicate on a one-to-one basis with the most qualified person who can help you. You can access the Client Support Portal (CSP), simply by clicking on the Web Portal link on the Appleton Greene web site.

Telephone Conference Support

You will also have a dedicated Support Manager, who will either be an International Consultancy Officer (ICO) or a Professional Editor. They will ordinarily be available for telephone conferences on Tuesday and Thursday every week, subject of course to ongoing availability. Telephone conferences are available by appointment only and these appointments are usually made 7-10 days in advance. This can be quite useful if you just need something explaining clearly, or if you just need to clarify your own understanding and interpretation on a certain issue. It also enables you to discuss your own ideas and to explore other opportunities. It also provides you with a personal contact at Appleton Greene, who will be responsible for ensuring that a high quality of service is provided at all times.

Publications

AGC Web Site

The primary location for approved Chartered Business Specialist (CBS) publications will be under the Publication section of the web site. You can access this by clicking on Publications from the main menu on the home page. Publications will be listed under the following departmental service headings: Customer Service; E-Business; Finance; Globalization; Human Resources; Technology; Legal; Management; Marketing and Production. As soon as the quantity of articles increases, each departmental service section will incorporate a detailed search facility, enabling clients to search for individual articles by title. This will become quite a useful knowledge base over time, which can easily be accessible through the Appleton Greene web site.

CBS Web Site

There will also be a separate CBS Web Site, which will feature all of the articles published. The purpose of this will be that individual articles can then be indexed and ranked by internet search engines and articles will then be available through Google, Bing, etc when searching for article titles, authors, or article content. It will also constitute a source of topical information and current affairs reading for clients, learning providers and consultants worldwide. This will enable Chartered Business Specialists (CBS) to obtain significant exposure and the opportunity to create awareness and to establish credibility within the Appleton Greene Global Client Network (GKN).

AGC Client Support Portal (CSP)

Approved articles will also be published within the searchable knowledge base on the Appleton Greene Client Support Portal (CSP). This will enable clients, learning providers and consultants to be presented with your articles when searching for relevant information within the knowledge base. Over 500,000 contacts within the Appleton Greene Global Client Network (GKN) already use this facility regularly when searching for new consulting services, corporate training programs, or just assistance with a specific problem that may constitute a Critical Success Factor (CSF) for them. These clients are typically multi-national corporations with budgets for consultancy and training that exceed $100m annually and who are always looking for new and innovative ways in which to improve their businesses. It is this constant quest for innovation and knowledge that ultimately provides them with competitive advantage.

Selected Publication Partners

Selected articles will also be published within the public domain, in up to 100 relevant independent program and service web sites that are published and managed by Appleton Greene. This will enable clients, who are already implementing services or programs where your Unique Business Subject (UBS) would have relevance, to access your professional articles. Selected publications will also be distributed to selected third party news and publication partners that are deemed to be relevant. This will all help to maximize exposure where it matters most, within special interest media, particularly with articles that have strong topical content and relevance with important international current affairs.